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Operational Guide · Registers & Logbooks

Coordination between the HSSC Cycle and SIRE 2.0 Vetting Inspections

Over 24,000 SIRE 2.0 inspections completed and a new Focused Inspection Campaign on vessel hardening: planning the survey cycle without considering the vetting calendar is no longer an option for tankers.

SIRE 2.0HSSCvettingcharterer

Operational Explanation

Since September 2024, SIRE 2.0 has been OCIMF's sole commercial inspection regime for tankers, following the permanent withdrawal of the previous VIQ7. More than a year after launch, with over 24,000 inspections completed, the impact of the new regime on Companies' operational planning is now evident: every crew member must be able to answer any question from the entire SIRE 2.0 Question Library at any time.

In October 2025, OCIMF launched a Focused Inspection Campaign (FIC) under the SIRE 2.0 regime, with targeted questions on vessel hardening, access control and onboard awareness, applied to all SIRE 2.0 inspections regardless of the ship's operating area. This means that the vetting inspection calendar, historically managed relatively separately from the HSSC cycle of statutory and class surveys, now requires explicit coordination: a ship unprepared on both fronts at the same time risks concentrating criticalities within a narrow time window.

Regulatory Reference

SIRE 2.0 (OCIMF): sole commercial inspection regime for tankers since September 2024, with over 24,000 inspections completed a year after launch; Focused Inspection Campaign launched in October 2025 on vessel hardening and access control, applied to all SIRE 2.0 inspections. The HSSC cycle separately governs statutory and class survey windows.

Scope of Application

Every tanker subject to SIRE 2.0 inspections, with the technical office and Master responsible for coordinating preparation for both the HSSC cycle and the calendar of vetting inspections expected by charterers.

Procedure / How to Complete It

  1. Jointly map the calendar of HSSC deadlines (class and statutory surveys) and the calendar of SIRE 2.0 vetting inspections expected by charterers.
  2. Prepare the crew on the SIRE 2.0 Question Library on an ongoing basis, not only close to an announced vetting inspection.
  3. Include the Focused Inspection Campaign questions on vessel hardening and access control in standard preparation, since they apply to all SIRE 2.0 inspections.
  4. Avoid concentrating statutory/class surveys and vetting inspections within the same narrow time window, planning ahead where possible.
  5. Share information on the HSSC calendar between the technical office and the commercial/chartering office, for informed scheduling of the vetting inspections requested by charterers.

Practical Example

Example: the technical office of a tanker Company maps the HSSC calendar for the next 12 months together with the calendar of vetting inspections expected by the main charterers, identifying a window where an Intermediate Survey would coincide with an expected SIRE 2.0 inspection, and brings forward crew preparation on both fronts to avoid concentrating the effort into too narrow a period.

Real Cases

The introduction of the SIRE 2.0 Focused Inspection Campaign in October 2025, applied to all inspections regardless of operating area, shows how the vetting regime evolves through frequent, cross-cutting updates: a Company that prepares its crew only close to individual inspections, without ongoing coordination with the HSSC cycle, risks finding itself unprepared on both fronts during the same period.

Common Mistakes Mistake Library

MistakeConsequenceHow to avoid it
HSSC calendar and vetting inspection calendar managed separately by different offices, without information sharingUnintended concentration of surveys and vetting inspections within the same time windowAlways share HSSC calendar information between the technical office and the commercial/chartering office
Crew preparation on the SIRE 2.0 Question Library concentrated only close to an announced inspectionSuperficial preparation, not aligned with the SIRE 2.0 principle of continuous readinessMaintain ongoing crew preparation on the Question Library, not only just before inspections
Focused Inspection Campaign content (vessel hardening, access control) not integrated into standard preparationUnpreparedness in an area of questions applied to all SIRE 2.0 inspections since October 2025Always integrate the content of the most recent Focused Inspection Campaigns into standard crew preparation

PSC Observations

Coordination between HSSC and vetting is not subject to direct PSC verification, but a ship with expired or irregular surveys may also be less attractive to charterers who use SIRE 2.0 as a commercial selection criterion.

Operational Tips

Checklist

FAQ

Since when has SIRE 2.0 been the sole commercial inspection regime for tankers?
Since September 2024, when OCIMF permanently withdrew the previous VIQ7.
What is the Focused Inspection Campaign launched in October 2025?
An OCIMF initiative under the SIRE 2.0 regime with targeted questions on vessel hardening, access control and onboard awareness, applied to all SIRE 2.0 inspections regardless of the ship's operating area.
Why is it important to coordinate the HSSC calendar with the vetting inspection calendar?
To avoid concentrating statutory/class surveys and vetting inspections within the same time window, reducing the risk of being unprepared on both fronts at the same time.
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Related Topics

Harmonized System of Survey and Certification (HSSC)Coordination between Class Surveys and Statutory Surveys (RO)